The 24-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Blues, and will remain at the German club for the rest of the Bundesliga season. He will link up with his new team-mates in July, subject to passing a medical examination.
One of the most feared young strikers in Europe, Werner is renowned for his pace, movement, link-up play and finishing ability. At Leipzig he has most often been deployed in a front two, but he can also play out wide in a front three or as the central striker.
He is currently enjoying the most profitable season of his career yet, having already scored 32 goals and registered 13 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions. After finding the net again against Fortuna Dusseldorf last night, he has two games remaining this season to improve on those numbers.
Werner said: ‘I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club. I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us.’
Marina Granovskaia added: ‘We are very excited that Timo Werner has chosen to join Chelsea. He is a player who was coveted all over Europe and it is no surprise, he has that rare mix of being young and exciting and yet established and proven. We can’t wait to have Timo on board, but until then we wish him and RB Leipzig all the best for the rest of this season.’
How old is Timo Werner and what is his style of play?
Werner, who turned 24 in March, has been an established German international since 2017, when his three goals and two assists earned him the Golden Boot at that year’s Confederations Cup, won by Joachim Low’s side. He has been a Bundesliga regular for almost seven years now, and in November became the youngest man to play 200 times in the competition, having broken similar records for 50, 100 and 150 appearances.
Werner’s game is built on searing pace and clever moment in the final third. He likes to drift across the frontline creating space for himself and others, and his impressive assist stats – 13 this season, 10 in each of the two prior – prove there is plenty more to his game than just scoring.
However, it is goals by which a striker is judged, and his tallies since moving to Leipzig in 2016 have been impressive: he netted 21 times in his first two seasons, 19 last time out, and this campaign has reached new heights, with 32 goals to his name. It is not just the speed but the timing of his runs in behind that give opposition defences nightmares, and he is an equally capable finisher with either foot.
All the while, Werner has contributed to making Leipzig one of the most attractive teams to watch in Europe, as well as a genuine Bundesliga and Champions League contender. Prior to lockdown, they reached the last eight of the latter competition with a 4-0 aggregate win over Tottenham. Werner scored the only goal in the first leg in north London from the penalty spot.
Domestically they have only lost three league games, the fewest in the Bundesliga, and seriously challenged eventual champions Bayern Munich for much of the season.
What is Timo Werner’s international record?
As well as shining for his club in recent years, Werner has emerged as a first-choice pick for Germany since making his international debut against England in March 2017. He led the line in Russia at both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, with mixed success, and since then has often featured on the left side of a front three as Low seeks to find the best formula for the myriad of talented young attackers at his disposal. In all Werner has played 29 times for Germany and scored 11 goals.
Werner was born in Stuttgart in the south-west of Germany in March 1996, and developed in the youth system of his home city team. Always prolific at junior level for club and country, his progress was so rapid he became Stuttgart’s youngest debutant four months and 23 days after his 17th birthday, in a Europa League qualifier at Botev Plovdiv at the start of the 2013/14 campaign. Among his team-mates that night was Toni Rudiger; the pair would play alongside each other for two seasons before the defender headed to Roma.
Werner’s Bundesliga bow followed a fortnight later, and before long he had his first senior goal in a draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. Only two players have scored at a younger age in Bundesliga history.
In all Werner made 30 league appearances in his maiden campaign at senior level, 16 of those as a starter, and was most often found on the left or right wing. He scored four goals and set up a further five.
When did Timo Werner join RB Leipzig?
In a struggling Stuttgart side, Werner missed only three league games in the next two seasons, but when they were relegated in 2016 he left for pastures new in the form of Leipzig, preparing to embark on their maiden campaign at the top level of German football.
An instant fit in a fast, young, exciting team, Werner opened his account on his third appearance with a brace in a big win at Hamburg. He did not look back, netting 21 times in all, and was especially potent after the winter break, with 12 goals in 15 games, as Leipzig stunningly came second.
That meant in 2017/18 Werner tasted Champions League football for the first time, scoring three group stage goals as Leipzig finished third behind Besiktas and Porto. He then scored in Europa League knockout wins over Napoli and Zenit, and again in the quarter-final loss to Marseille.
Leipzig’s European exertions affected their domestic form, with a sixth-place finish and 13 goals for Werner representing a drop in performance on the season before, but player and team were back to their best the following year. Werner scored 19 goals as another strong finish to the campaign secured third place, and with it Champions League football for 2019/20.
How many goals has Timo Werner scored this season?
Leipzig eased through their group, helped by a matchday one Werner brace at Benfica, and then dumped out Tottenham in the last 16. In the Bundesliga this season Werner has a remarkable 26 goals in 32 games, including three hat-tricks, the most recent of which came away to Mainz in Leipzig’s second game after the recent restart.
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